And here's another chapter! To all the reviews left on the first two parts, if you have any questions about the story, feel free to directly PM me. I'd be happy to answer your questions to the best of my ability.

Princess Selene stared straight at the colored globe that rose up in front of the ship she was aboard with her mother, a ship bound for Earth and the Eastern Commonwealth.

She reflected on all of the things that had led up to this point, of her being on this ship and her being on the way to meeting the royal family of the biggest territory of the Earthern Union. And her possible future husband thrown in the mix.

"Selene," A sweet, melodious voice rose up behind the princess and she turned to face her mother. Queen Channary was the very definition of stunning— tanned skin, chestnut hair, and eyes that curved upward at the ends as if Channary was perpetually smiling. (Technically Selene knew that the last feature was part of her mother's glamor, but Channary was so skilled at her glamour that almost no one, save for Selene and a few select others, knew they were just a mirage.)

"Yes, mother?" Selene kept her voice as melodious as her mother's, sweet and saccharine. She hated it.

"You know how important this trip is for us. It gives Luna the bond we need with Earth." Channary wrinkled her eyebrows. "Although, it doesn't really matter whether we come in bearing white flags or guns. Luna will be able to be in charge of Earth whatever the means. Glamours are such powerful things, after all."

Selene's heat pounded, the sound ringing in her ears. "Yes, mother." She mumbled.

"I'll see you at the entrance in half and hour, Selene." Channary started her walk away from Selene, but paused halfway, and turned. She walked towards her daughter again, and enclosed her in her arms. Selene embraced her back, and she smelled her mother's familiar scent of lavendar and peach.

"I care very much for you, Selene." Channary whispered into her daughter's ear as she held her close. "I hope you realize that." And with that, the queen released her daughter.

Selene gazed back. "Of course, mother. I love you."

For a moment, Channary stiffened, and Selene briefly considered her words. Her mother had told her several times that she believed love was a weakness. A distraction.

But all Selene's doubts were washed away once she saw her mother's serene smile return. "Of course, Selene. The dock, though, sweetheart. In half an hour. And do fix your hair, one side is sticking out more than the other, and if you insist on not wearing your veil, you should at least make yourself look presentable."

Queen Channary left the room, and Selene snatched the nearest handheld mirror within arm's reach. She gazed into her reflection.

Selene had always been told she was beautiful. And when she was young, she had accepted it. Relished it, lived on it. But now that she was older, she understood that there were many different standards to measure by to determine if someone was beautiful.

But for her, she had discovered that everything was based solely on her royal status. She could be wearing banana peels on her body and the servants would still kneel and praise her "beauty." And if she was still the naive young girl she had been, she would have accepted it.

People thought that being royal meant you had the utmost freedom to do whatever you wanted. In some cases, that was true.

But not in this one.

Selene hastily grabbed a pin to tame her hair and looked back into the mirror. Good. Her hair was back in place.

She looked back into the mirror, and she saw something else in her reflection. She saw a young girl, not quite yet a woman, not quite a child. Selene was nineteen; if all went according to Channary's plan, her future husband would be twenty-one.

Selene had never met Prince Kaito of the Eastern Commonwealth, but a quick net search showed that the prince was strikingly handsome, had thousands of net fan groups, and had done (apparently, to quote a newspaper article praising the royal family) "hundreds of good deeds" for not only the Eastern Commonwealth, but for the entire Earthern Union. (Selene found that last piece of information hard to believe.)

But what struck her the most was that he was also so young. They were both so young. And yet, their parents intended to wed them together. Or, at least one of their parents.

Selene didn't want to get married. She was nineteen. She had her entire life to live out. She wanted to see the world, outside of her home planet and outside of the palace where she had grown up. And if she felt this way, she could only imagine how Prince Kaito felt.

She had brought the topic up one morning when her mother had been doing her hair in front of a mirror. Her mother had laughed and said, "A husband does not limit a queen, Selene. You will still be able to see the world. And," —Channary smiled devishly— "if you are not pleased with your husband's... abilities, you are welcome to take another lover."

Selene couldn't explain to her that it didn't matter to her if her new husband was good in bed or not, it mattered to her whether he was kind or sweet or good to the people he was in charge of. She just wanted someone to love her. She knew her mother tried, but still Selene yearned for something more than her mother's inability to say the words "I love you" back to the princess.

Take her cousin for example. Princess Winter was Selene's best friend, along with the guard that was sworn to protect her, Jacin Clay. Selene could see how much Jacin cared for Winter, even beyond what everyone called "her craziness." Jacin looked at Winter with a look in his eyes that Selene wished she could experience. It took quite a while for Jacin to admit that he lived Winter back, but once he did, they became together. They eloped (well, more like "snuck off into the gardens for three hours before they were caught") and were found snuggled together behind a large rose shrub. Jacin would have had his head chopped off for unlawful interaction with the princess, had Selene and Winter not stepped in and pulled some strings.

If only Selene could lay claim to such a whirlwind romance.

And now her chances were even slimmer with this marriage.

God, will I ever get out of this?

A/N: Since I'm copying and p pasting this directly from my WattPad story of the same name, some of the italics are not published, so if you want the full effects of the italics and such, you may be better off reading it from WattPad. My WattPad account is EtoileDAmour.